just Bought an E46 M3

[Sashak87]

Hi People,

Bought my first M3 this weekend, put a deposit down on an immaculate M3 SMG Individual Cabrio in Purple with Champagne leather.

I was after a manual at first but have to admit I love the SMG gearbox. My question is, how reliable are they?

The car is a 2004 on 87k and has been exceptionally maintained. I'm buying it from James Paul in Surrey who have a great reputation and check things very thoroughly pre-sale so I'm happy with the car.

I guess my question is what are the failure rates on the pumps? And what cost to fix? Obv you only ever hear -ves on forums but are they like Audi RS6 gearboxes which are nearly guaranteed to go? Or is it only a handful?

Thanks

Sash

[Yanto]

Congratulations....enjoy the new car!

New pump fitted at BMW will be ~1800 GBP.

Mine went at 64K miles, replaced under warranty.

[nw28840]

I had an M3 convertible for 4 years, 2003 car (that i bought in 2005) with SMG gearbox.

I had no issues with the car in the 4 years aside from a convertible roof issue -which was resolved under warranty

SMG gearbox took a little getting used to , but i loved it !

[Sashak87]

64k? Wow! Is that 'normal'?

[Yanto]

Sashak87 said:

64k? Wow! Is that 'normal'?

Doubtful, just luck of the draw..

Mate also had his go on his CSL but I think his mileage was in the 70's...

But others have higher mileage with no problem.

Personally, I still think the trade off is worth it - am a fan of SMG....others will disagree....its just personal choice.

[Slurms]

Yeah pump failures can happen, tends to be more common on higher mileages but some cars have done 100k+ on the original pumps..

[goldblum]

Sashak87 said:

are they like Audi RS6 gearboxes which are nearly guaranteed to go?


Sash

Mine didn't,my friends didn't,and the only person I know it happened to had his Audi up at 550 bhp and 600lb/ft.

[mrmr96]

Looks nice:













Maybe a bit expensive, but that depends on the spec/condition/service history.
http://www.jamespaul.co.uk/bmw-m3-smg-convertible-...
Not jealous... obviously...

[Sashak87]

Yeah it's about £2k more than I wanted to spend, but has near new tyres (all conti's), brakes are recent, fresh service (inc valve clearances) and fresh MOT so should need nothing doing. Looked at a fair few that morning and that was by far the best to drive even though others all around 60k and Manual Coupes.

Just thought about the SMG box now and whether I should find a different one for the price but if most are good then that hopefully should be too.

[mrmr96]

I was thinking the same thing, as it felt more like a £10-11k car. But if it's got new tyres, brakes and a recent service then it doesn't seem like a bad deal really.

[Sashak87]

goldblum said:

Mine didn't,my friends didn't,and the only person I know it happened to had his Audi up at 550 bhp and 600lb/ft.

Ok, that was a stupid point and exaggerated. When I was researching/considering one it was something that seemed more common than I would be comfortable with.

[goldblum]

Yes tune the RS6 and the gearboxes can suffer..Enjoy your BM.

[MattOz]

Mora with champagne is a cracking combination for a convertible. That drivers seat is pretty tired mind you. Would benefit from a decent clean and some colour from liquid leather. Enjoy the new car!

[Stingercut]

Love mine to bits. I'm sure you will too, superb cars they are.

[MMT]

I know I've put this in a couple of threads now but have you had the chassis checked for cracks where the diff carrier is mounted to the floor pan? It very often isn't picked up by MOT or routine service checks by BMW. My car has just been repaired and strengthened.

[BalhamBadger]

Lovely car, great colour combo and contrast between the exterior and interior.

[mcelliott]

As others have mentioned, nice tidy car. Bet you are going to have lots of fun in the summer with this one. I'm taking mine off to the Alps in a couple of weeks - can't wait! Oh yeah also, remember these cars aren't st your pants quick, so sports button must be pressed firmly in at all times!